ex-USN Gearings in PN service

The Pakistan operated 6 destroyers of the &#8220;Gearing&#8221; class, that had started to arrive at the country in 1977. The ships were modernized later, receiving new equipment, missiles antiship Harpoon and CIWS Vulcan Phalanx of 20mm electronic. Its substitution started in 1988, when the Pakistan received for leasing frigates from the classroom &#8220;Brooke&#8221;, that later they had been returned because of the American embargo. The Pakistan then was again turned toward the United kingdom in order to buy warships and acquired the frigates of the classroom &#8220;Amazon&#8221; Type 21.

The Gearing - a lengthened Allen M Sumner - represents the final US destroyer design of World War II. Of 152 long-hull Sumners ordered, 98 were completed.

Beginning in the late 1950s, 44 received FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation And Modernization) Mk I conversions.

The FRAM MK I program was designed primarily for the Gearing-class destroyers. This upgrade includes rebuilding the ship's superstructure, engines, electronic systems, radar, sonar, and weapons. The second twin 5" gun mount was removed. Upgraded systems include SQS-23 sonar, SPS-10 surface search radar, 2 x triple Mk 32 torpedo launchers, 8-cell ASROC box launcher, and QH-50C DASH ASW drone helicopter, with its own landing pad and hangar. The Gyrodyne QH-50C DASH was an unmanned anti-submarine helicopter, controlled remotely from the ship. The drone could carry 2 x MK.44 homing ASW torpedoes. The DASH drone allowed the ship to deploy ASW attack to sonar contacts as far as 22 nautical miles (41 km) away.

The FRAM MK II program was designed primarily for the Sumner-class destroyers, but were used to upgrade the Gearing class as well. This upgrade program includes life-extension refurbishment, a new radar system, Mk. 32 torpedo, DASH ASW drone, and most importantly, a new variable depth sonar (VDS).

The FRAM-ed Gearings were retired when larger Spruance-class ships began commissioning in the 1970s. Thereafter, some were sold to foreign navies. Gearings served in the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Greece, Ecuador, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay, through the 1990s. The remainder were sunk as targets or scrapped.

The Brooks & Garcia were a combo of Anti Sub and or AA escorts -- a total of eight units were leased. Good workhorses for PN but as mentioned by Penguin were returned to US after expiry of th lease.

At the time of their transfer in 1988 or 89' PN had also started operating the Leanders and were also operating four Gearings out of six. The total thus would have been 8 Brooks/Garcia, 4 Gearings and 2 Leanders; a total of fourteen surface units! That was the highest number of major surface units ever put to sea by PN.

Some of the equipment like the Harpoon system, the Phalanx system were taken off and used in the Type 21 units and the torpedo firing systems were also taken off including some Electronics -- their current status is unknown.

I am not sure about the Brooks/Garcia equipment being used in any of the currently used surface units. But I do know that Pakistan bought some SM1 systems to put on those ships. Their current status is unknown to me.

Some of the equipment like the Harpoon system, the Phalanx system were taken off and used in the Type 21 units and the torpedo firing systems were also taken off including some Electronics -- their current status is unknown.

I am not sure about the Brooks/Garcia equipment being used in any of the currently used surface units. But I do know that Pakistan bought some SM1 systems to put on those ships. Their current status is unknown to me.

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Since the Brooke/Garcia ships were leased they weren't modified and all equipment remained US property (and hence returned). Possibly some SM1 missiles remain in PN inventory, though I can't imaging why the y would want that (personally I would have sold any such missiles to an operator of SM1 and/or used OHP the moment renewal of the lease was no longer a viable option)

Of the 6 Gearing, at least 2 were sunk as target, 2 were scrapped. Of the 2 remaining, only one last seen in service with Maritime Security as M.S.S Nizam (ex-Henderson). Fate of the final unit unknown.

Using Google Earth, I've located 1 of the Gearings in Karachi harbour, in between PN's two auxiliary oiler replenishment ships PNS Moawin and PNS Nasr. Looking at historical imagery, it has been moored near the harbour entrance at least since 3 januari 2001.